Sigil
by onyourleftinheels
Summary: Every symbol has it's meaning, but it can be hard to decipher.  Some are meant for healing.  Some are meant as a marker.  Yet others are meant for protection...


**Author's Note: **This story was inspired by the occurences of episode 6.18 (Frontierland) in conjunction with the official Role Players Station on the Supernatural-aholics Anonymous forum. To put it simply, Sarah Bevin is an original character, a Bard to be more precise. Her abilities to control her surroundings are used through music and passed to her through heritage. She is a descendant of the angel Israfel (somewhere along the line anyways...). She's an original character, but not a Mary-Sue... and yes, she does take a shining to Castiel...

Without further ado, here is Sigil.

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><p>She thought she had dreamed it, the rustling noise. However, when she woke up, she knew instinctively that there was more to it. She tried to replay the sound in her mind, knowing it would never be quite right; however, it wasn't until she started to recall her dream that she could even start to place the noise.<p>

It had been a sandy beach, one devoid of anything save herself and the blue sky above. Waves washed into shore, the rushing noise thrilling and soothing in the same breath.

Sarah gazed around the room, scanning the shadows with more care than usual. Nothing seemed amiss. The bed beside her own was empty, giving her very few possibilities as to the origins of what she had heard. Sarah was just about to recline and return to sleep when a piece of her dream decided to lazily waltz through her mind.

A lone seagull had been there, flapping it's wings on the gentle sea breeze.

Electricity jolted down her spine in comprehension. Wings. It had been the sound of wings.

A soft grunt reached her ears and she bit her lip, already knowing what she would find. She turned quickly, easily spotting the slumped form on the floor. It was one she was intimately familiar with, including in times of discomfort such as now.

"Cas?"

The figure on the floor moved, a groan following the action, as the Angel once again settled on to the ground in an unkempt pile of limbs. In moments, the covers were off the young Bard, her form hurrying over to Castiel. It was obvious something wasn't right.

"Cas, you with me?" she questioned gently, kneeling on the ground beside him as he once again moved. Pain wrinkled across his features, but it was obvious by the way he was trying to avoid her that he had another goal in mind. She longed to touch him, to make sure he was actually there before her, but the sound of his labored breathing held her back. Obviously, he was concealing injuries.

A gentle pressure reached her arm as Castiel moved again, pushing her away from him as he turned towards the wall. Sarah shifted backwards, watching with rapt attention as Castiel pulled away his trench coat. At once, a soft light appeared and Sarah could only stare in wonder at it's beauty. A shadow fell over the glow, a soft grunt of pain following in it's wake and at once Sarah made a horrible realization.

"You're hurt."

He paused his movement, blood already staining the wall as he glanced at her. His eyes were tired, wary, and she knew at once that he wasn't really seeing her. His mind was still running on instinct, survival pushing to the forefront. She swallowed thickly as the angel turned his gaze from hers, his breathing still heavy as he dipped his fingers into the wound once more and he continued to smear it upon the wall.

Sarah watched him, unable to see exactly what it was he was creating with the way his shadow covered the image.

"Cas," she said gently, reaching forward as he continued to draw. A gasp was wrung from her throat, however, as Castiel lunged toward her, eyes wild and fierce. She was taken aback for a moment, her heart racing wildly in her chest, until the lines of pain appeared once again on his face and he shifted towards the wall once more. Soft light continued to spill from his trench coat as he continued to dab from the wound in his side.

Sarah bit her lip, inching closer to the angel once more before sitting back on her legs folded beneath her. Her hands became idle toys as she patiently waited for Castiel to finish whatever task was at hand. Obviously, there was great need of protection if he was still working away carefully at whatever design he was etching into the wall. It was with hesitant relief that Sarah watched as Castiel's hand finally stilled over the sigil and she began to wonder if he would press his palm against it, sending himself back to Heaven. Her heart dropped when he suddenly slumped against the wall, face screwing up in pain.

"Hey. Cas. It's okay," Sarah said, slowly reaching out and placing her hand on his shoulder. She took a shaky breath, watching as began to breathe easier, "You're okay. You're safe."

She watched, flaring her healing grace, as she kept her hand on his arm. Slowly, Castiel opened his eyes, turning the slightest bit to gaze at the woman next to him through eyes glossed with pain.

Sarah took a deep breath, keeping herself open to the Angel before her as she swallowed around the lump in her throat. She opened her mouth, carefully pronouncing her next word with care, "Castiel."

He turned slightly, his eyes flickering with recognition as his name flowed off her tongue - a perfect Enochian pronunciation. He blinked sluggishly, glancing at the hand on his arm and trailing his gaze upwards until his eyes met hers.

"S-Sarah," he croaked out, blinking heavy lids. He barely noticed as she nodded to him, shifting forward to grab him firmly by the arm.

"We need to get you off the ground, alright?" she asked, knowing full well that he would cooperate regardless. He stood fairly easily, his hand pressing against his side where Sarah knew he had been injured. She licked her lips nervously, glancing down at his side before looking up at him with a soft smile.

"That's it, Cas. C'mon."

Without another word, Sarah stepped closer to the angel, wrapping his free arm around her shoulders and holding it securely against herself. Her face steeled over with determination as he laid more weight against her, practically dragging his feet as they slowly progressed towards their destination.

Sarah probed gently, her grace flared as far as she dare with Castiel in his current state. She was pleasantly surprised to find little physical damage anywhere on his person. However, as she gently pressed closer and closer to the wound in his chest, the angel leaning upon her began to keen softly in the back of his throat, his face once again tightening in pain.

"Okay, okay," she soothed, turning them so they could both easily sit on the bed, "I'm sorry."

Castiel watched as Sarah slowly pulled at his trench coat, registering somewhere in the back of his mind that he needed to tell his arms to move so that she could remove it. And yet, he couldn't move. He could only watch as Sarah tugged at his jacket, removing it quickly as she did the same to his dark blazer beneath that.

He blinked slowly, the stinging sensation in his chest starting to lessen as Sarah worked at his tie and at once he realized she was using her abilities.

"You should not do that."

She stilled her hands, his tie slipping from around his neck before she pulled it away.

"Shouldn't do what?"

Cas grunted low in his throat as Sarah began to tug at his dress shirt, the dried blood there sticking it to the wound. He nodded at her apology, biting back the hiss as the wound in his chest tore up physically once more.

"Should not be healing."

Sarah stopped once more, clearing her throat before gently pushing Cas's shirt aside. Immediately, a soft white light filled the room, leaking from the bloody hole in Castiel's chest.

"Cas-"

Sarah gently ran her fingers down his arm, looking up into his eyes once more. Even aside from his ability to read the fear and concern rolling around her soul, Castiel would have been able to read the same emotions within her eyes.

"It will heal," he said simply, his voice lower than normal. He closed his eyes to fight against the sudden spinning of the room. He knew Sarah was talking to him on some level, but he was slowly shutting down. Her nervous yelp was more of a muffled whine as he slowly lost consciousness.

"Yea, but Cas, it- Cas!"

There was little else Sarah could do but catch him as he quite suddenly pitched forward, eyes slipping closed as he succumbed to his injuries. She shifted awkwardly, pulling him backwards as she adjusted herself against the headboard. His body was limp and easily pliable, allowing her to place his head against her stomach. She ran her fingers through his hair, glancing down at the wound in his chest. Although it looked ghastly, she was still pleasantly surprised to see it was already beginning to close.

She sighed softly, resting her head against the wall as her mind rolled. She didn't know exactly when it had come to this. Yes, he had been gone for quite some time, but each new arrival heralded new injuries or worries. He had even ceased teaching her Enochian, stopping not much further beyond basic pronunciation. She smiled softly, closing her eyes.

The last thing he had taught her was how to properly pronounce his name. In all honesty, it hadn't been that far from it's English pronunciation, but the accent was undeniable.

A soft smile graced Sarah's lips as she began to doze off, her arms wrapped protectively around the angel that protected her so often.

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><p>It was the soft knock at the door that startled her awake. She jolted upright, neck stiff from her awkward position against the wall. She stretched, carefully not too move too much to avoid jarring the man leaning against her. However, as she opened her eyes and came to her senses, she realized something was missing.<p>

Castiel was nowhere to be found.

She huffed, tossing the blanket off of herself and striding over to the door. She was less than surprised to be greeted with the familiar face of AJ when she threw it open, turning around and stalking back towards her bed.

"Didn't know if you were awake yet," AJ said, stepping into the room, closing the door behind her as she looked around, "Damn. Sarah, what happened?"

Sarah glanced around the room, only now realizing the disarray. Blankets were tossed to the floor, pillow cast aside. However, it was the obvious bloody image on the wall that held AJ's gaze. Sarah glanced at it with fascination as the swirls began to decode in her mind. Of course it was a sigil, one that she knew. She held her breath as searched her memories, the meaning just out of reach. She took a step forward, lowering herself to her knees as she gazed at the mark. It wasn't until she trailed her fingers over it, the rough, dry sanguine liquid flaking off on her fingers, that she recognized the symbol. It was one he had taught her himself.

"Cas showed up," she said, turning to face AJ as she stood. She wiped her fingers on her pajama pants, smiling awkwardly for a moment as AJ raised her brows. Sarah chuckled before continuing, "He was injured. I don't know where he went."

Sarah watched as her friend and fellow hunter nodded, immediately jumping into idle chit chat as Sarah stepped into the bathroom to change and get herself ready for the days events. She knew she was nodding and responding properly, but her mind was whirling away in a totally different direction.

Sarah couldn't stop thinking about the sigil.

It was a warding sigil, designed to protect the angel that drew it in time of need. It was a sigil for safety and for deflection of other angels that wished the designer harm. Although it was a universal sigil, each angel had a slight variation that made it effective for them and them alone.

Castiel was no exception.

The sigil on the wall of the hotel room was one that Sarah recognized, because it was the last one Castiel had taught her to read before he had been forced to return to Heaven in earnest.

A smile tilted across her lips as a single tear slid down her cheek. She swiped at it, returning her attention to AJ as she finished packing her bags.

AJ eyed her suspiciously and Sarah was aware of the gentle fingers of her fellow hunter's consciousness fleeting over her own.

"You okay?"

Sarah didn't say anything, she merely glanced at the motel room wall and nodded at AJ before picking up her bag and walking out the door to meet the others.

The sigil had been one she had recognized because it was the same sigil Castiel had drawn on the wall of her room at Bobby's house the day he left to lead his army. It was simple, but strong. A sigil that spoke of protection and devotion, something that he had placed there to keep her safe. In fact, it was a symbol of everything that made the angel who he was - it was his name.

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><p><strong>TrebleMaker<strong>


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